-- CTF Urges Wizard of Finance to Table a full-blown Budget to Account for Oz-Like Throne Speech Commitments --

OTTAWA: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) today urged federal Finance Minister Paul Martin to begin preparations for delivery of a full-blown Budget before mid-March to address fundamental concerns about the state of the Canadian economy and the government's expenditure-heavy agenda.

"Opposition calls for a full-blown Budget are bang on. Government by press releases or Ministerial news conferences is unacceptable. Mssrs. Chretien and Martin can not be allowed to run Canada on special warrants and ways and means motions," stated CTF federal director Walter Robinson. "Without a Budget, Parliament is effectively neutered and the provinces are hampered in preparation of their own Budget documents."

The CTF noted that with a 100 basis-point drop in interest rates in the United States, a slowing - if not stalled - U.S. economy and recent Statistics Canada data showing measurable drops in factory growth and the automotive sector, Minister Martin is obliged to publicly update the government's revenue and expenditure projections for fiscal 2001 in a proper Budget document which would allow for a full and thorough debate in Parliament.

"Four months and a general election have passed since the ink-dried on October's mini-budget and it is clear that we're not booming growth Kansas anymore," added Robinson, paraphrasing Dorothy's famous line from the Wizard of Oz. "And the yellow brick government expenditure road has become much more expensive with more than a dozen concrete initiatives outlined in Tuesday's Throne Speech. If we add in spending intent masked in adjectives and generalities such as investing, strengthening, supporting - watch out. Ottawa's new motto might as well be: you send it, we'll spend it."

In a careful read of the Throne Speech, CTF analysis revealed the following:

• Fourteen (14) identifiable commitments of continued and/or new government spending; and
  
• Fifty-one (51) adjective-laden promises committing the federal government to courses of action that will necessitate further expenditures.
  
• "Canadians have a right to know, in a substantive way, what the government's 'inlcusionary' agenda will cost. Accountable government cries out for a Budget," concluded Robinson. "The question is not if, or will the Minister deliver a Budget The question is when "

New or Sustaining Expenditure Initiatives Outlined in the Throne Speech

• Attracting talent to the federal public service
  
• Doubling federal research and development contributions by 2010
  
• Ensuring national broadband network access by 2004
  
• Maintaining the commitment to e-government by 2004
  
• Increases in the National Child Benefit (NCB) over the next four years
  
• Increased funding for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
  
• Federal funding for municipal waste and waste water infrastructure projects
  
• Creation of new National Parks
  
• Stimulation of the creation of affordable rental housing
  
• Enhanced law enforcement tools for police forces
  
• Increased support for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
  
• Assistance to book publishers and the sound recording industry
  
• Increases in Canada's official development assistance (ODA) to other countries and multilateral institutions
  
• Facilitating 100,000 student exchanges per year

Incidence of Action-Oriented (Spending Implied) Adjectives Throughout the Throne Speech

• Invest, investments or investing (12)
  
• Strengthen or strengthening (11)
  
• Ensure support or will support (8)
  
• Improve (6)
  
• Will help (3)
  
• Develop (2)
  
• Launch a - (2)
  
• Increase (1)
  
• Will create (1)
  
• Accelerate (1)
  
• Enhance (1)
  
• Champion (1)
  
• Protect & promote (1)
  
• Work with provincial partners/governments (or others) - (ever present)